Antimicrobial Efficacy of Hygiene Rinsers under Consumer-Related Conditions

Abstract

Abstract In domestic laundry, the question how to achieve a sufficient germ reduction gains importance since the trend towards lower washing temperatures and the incremental use of bleach-free liquid detergents does not ensure a sufficient hygiene by the means of temperature and bleach any longer. Hygiene rinsers as products being added to the rinse cycle offer further antimicrobial efficacy and seem to provide an adequate solution for this challenge. However, their regular application is debated due to the used ingredients and it is still unclear whether they are able to exhibit an additional antimicrobial efficacy. This study investigates the germ reduction by a supplementary use of hygiene rinsers under conditions that are close to the parameters found in the household to evaluate the benefit of these products for the hygienic reconditioning of laundry.